If you’re dealing with a constant source of anxiety in your life, your mind may be translating an inability to relax into a fear of going to bed or falling asleep. I don’t specifically remember it occuring, but I remember it building up over time. When I feel like this I usually start hyperventilating and shaking and I do not know how to get over it. Good sleep is an essential part of good health. It’s getting worse and worse every year. The word Scelerophobia is derived from Latin, ‘scelero’ which means ‘wickedness or crime’ and ‘phobos’ which means ‘deep dread or fear’. I have vivid dreams of it happening and have started sleeping with a baseball bat. "There are physiological changes occurring with age, such as decreased amounts of time spent in certain stages of sleep," Bloom said. But fear can be conquered, so stay strong. You don’t know how much it means to me that someone understands my difficulties with these simple situations that I get anxious about, that a lot of people don’t. This is more so in the case of anxious or high strung individuals already suffering from anxiety disorders. I cannot ride a taxi in a foreign country without a gps in my hands, because i fear that he would take me somewhere else. We'll help you understand nyctophobia and how it can be treated. You might wake up frequently and have trouble getting back to sleep. I’m sorry I can’t offer any better advice than this, I understand very well how much it sucks to have these types of fears plaguing you. hi even though i’m a 16 year old teenager, i have a big fear of a break in. © 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. We live in a safe neighborhood, and have never experienced a break in. I believe that once I move away from my parents house, I would want to get a small apartment because I’d feel safer in one. There are people I can go to like my neighbors and my friends house but if I am stuck in a room upstairs then I can’t do anything and I personally don’t trust the police will do anything (they need to improve the efficiency – when there is a hopeless child in desperate need for help, they are dealing with someones Renault Clio being rolled out of the drive.) Physical symptoms of Scelerophobia including having a full blown panic attack at the thought of crime or being attacked. I believe I have this phobia because when I was 6 or 7, our house got broken into and I was assaulted. I’m 14 years old and I have Scelerophobia. Yet now it’s difficult because I have to wake up early. I wouldn’t be in a room with a closed-door ever. Often people who are afraid of crime expect the government and police to help them. I’m glad you find it useful. Automatonophobia is the fear of human-like figures, like mannequins, wax figures, or statues. You’re more likely to develop a specific phobia if you have a close family member who also has a phobia or a family history of anxiety. Scelerophobia has been with me since I was about 3 or 4… I don’t have any trauma for example of a break in. Anyway I was nearly home and then I just thought; what if someone has broken into my house and I am going to be home by myself and what if the criminal is still hiding in the house because they thought that I could do something about it when I catch them. Megalophobia, or the fear of large objects can mean an intense fear of things like skyscrapers, large animals, and expansive spaces. Another option for further exposure therapy is sleeping in a sleep lab or with a medical professional who stays awake while you sleep, whether it’s a nap or overnight. Their phobia leads to constant fatigue as it causes them to believe that they need to be vigilant all the time. Required fields are marked *. My biggest fear is a break in or weird people on the streets, I sometimes even have panic attacks when I’m home alone. I believe I have this fear due to watching too many of those scary animations on Youtube. I was afraid that an actually person was under my bed). Kelly George, 36, pictured, from Plymouth, says she starts sweating at the thought of husband Phil, 43, staying away. However, in extreme Scelerophobia, many ‘normal’ things become difficult for the suffering individual. I’m 23 years old and I currently live in a dangerous town in New Jersey called Vineland. These fears are getting stronger day by day and i am tired of feeling scared all the time. In order to feel somewhat at peace when I’m by myself I have to have some sort of weapon by me at all times. If you’re aware there’s a risk of death associated with your health concern, you could become anxious about dying in your sleep and eventually develop somniphobia. He’s annoying, too talkative, he’s ugly-looking and he has “bug eyes”. Fearing crime is a common and prevalent issue in modern society. Women fear crime more than men owing to greater possibility of sexual assaults. Is there hope for this? I always try to see if I could get the dog from my parents room, but he’s super attached to my mother so he typically doesn’t want to go. I wouldn’t even look under my bed. In exposure therapy, you’ll work with a therapist to gradually expose yourself to your fear while working on ways to reduce fear and anxiety. Tomophobia, the extreme fear of invasive medical procedures, can keep you from seeking lifesaving medical care. then I wouldn’t be able to say anything in case the criminal is armed and caught me and hurt me. Crime also involves police reports, court cases etc which are viewed in negative light. In the short term, research crime statistics in your area and prevention options. 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